Team Therapy
by SpyGlass9T
Summary: The friendships on the MCRT have never been so strained. With tension running high, the team has never been so divided and broken. Luckily for them, there is always team therapy to fix the problems. Set in season 6. Team fic but Tony-centric.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi! So, this is my first fan fic. Please be nice and comment. :) I will be uploading a new chapter hopefully every week. Maybe even more than that. I don't know. Rated T just to be safe.**

**If this page suddenly disappears, IT IS NOT MY FAULT. Sorry for any inconveniences. Computers just don't like me. :(**

**So, standard disclaimer applies. Please sit back, read and enjoy. :P**

_Chapter One: _

Tony sat at his desk at the bullpen, typing away at his computer, when Ziva suddenly stood from behind her own one and approached. Gibbs glanced up as she moved but otherwise did not comment. A few meters away, McGee cocked his head to the side and also stood.

Not good.

Tony stretched and leaned back into his chair. Watching them with a smirk fixed on his face. Being great at undercover work was sure helpful.

Both Ziva and McGee loomed over his desk, trying to look intimidating. Well, McGee was trying. Ziva just was.

"Well, well, well. 'What brings you to my lair? Not that I'm some sort of animal. Or, or maybe I am.'"

Mc Gee frowned while Ziva remained impassive.

"Oh. Come-on, McIT. It's from 'The IT Crowd'. You must know it!"

"I don't care about your stupid movie's, Tony."

Tony gasped in mock offense. "But it's not from a movie! 'The IT Crowd' is a TV series!"

"Whatever," was Ziva's short reply, "You know why we want to talk to you."

"Talk or interrogate?"

"Depends."

All of agents in the office had noticed the exchange by now. Some had started to walk over, while others were ignoring it. Arguments were a common occurrence.

"Why is there a heap of paperwork dumped on our desks?" demanded McGee.

Tony smiled and stood. "Because I am the senior field agent and can delegate work to those… inferior to me."

Ziva's eye twitched. "Half of those requisition forms don't even exist."

"We do not need to fill out all of that in order to get supplies for the gear in the truck and requests for new Kevlar vests are not necessary. You can't fool us with that shit," agreed McGee.

A short bark of laughter from across the bullpen made the junior agent and liaison officer turn around. Kenny, the SFA of another team, was looking at them with a small grin. However, his eyes were hard.

"Those requisition forms are real alright. You guys were meant to be doing them from day 1." Kenny turned to look at Tony, frowning in disapproval. "And I expected you to give all that work to them long ago. There is enough work as is for a senior field agent. No wonder you stay up odd hours."

Tony shrugged while Ziva and McGee frowned.

"The junior agents on my team do all that shit. You can ask them if you want some help with filling them out, Ziva, McGee." Kenny nodded his head curtly to both agents, before smiling at Tony.

"Now you have no excuse to get in here at midnight. Oh. And I think Travis was looking for you. He wanted to thank you for-"

"Thanks, Ken. Not everyone here wants to here about it."

"Okie dokie, man. If you say so." Turning, Kenny walked back to his team. "But next time my team gets a case about a psychotic serial killer who kidnapped the daughter of a navy general and left zero evidence, I am calling you to help us."

"Kenny…" Tony began threateningly.

A hand waved in the air was the only response. Sighing, Tony slouched back down into his chair. Ziva and McGee looked about ready to murder someone.

"Fucking liar," hissed Ziva at the retreating form of Kenny. McGee nodded his head in agreement as Tony left to his feet again.

"Take that back," he snarled. Walking around his desk to stand in front of Ziva. "Ken is a good man. Take. That. Back."

Stepping in close, Ziva spat in his face, "What did you do? Bribe him?"

"I… What?" spluttered Tony, at a loss. "Everything he said was true."

"As if," sneered McGee. "You doing our work for us? Being here, working, at midnight? Helping other teams with cases?" He snorted in derision.

Tony's face grew hot with anger that he couldn't control. "Well, it's true! If you don't believe me, then ask Gibbs."

Both younger agents turned around to see Gibbs watching impassively. "Don't involve me," was all that the functional mute said.

"Ha!" cried McGee, while Tony frowned and narrowed his eyes.

"Since when did you not want to be involved, Boss?" queried DiNozzo.

"Since you betrayed my trust, DiNozzo," snapped Gibbs, meeting his subordinate's surprised eyes with a glare. "I thought I taught you to watch your partner's six."

Hiding his shock and hurt behind a mask, Tony calmed his features and replied coolly, "Like you are Boss. I don't know what has happened, but at least you being a hypocrite hasn't changed."

Ziva and McGee blinked and stood aside as they watched Gibbs rise from his seat and storm over to stand in front of his SFA.

"You are dismissed for today DiNozzo. Go home. Be thankful that you have a job to return to tomorrow morning."

Stiffly, Tony jerked a nod and wisely kept quiet as he gathered his bags.

"And you two, don't just stand there. Get back to filling out those requisition forms. They don't complete themselves."

Ziva and McGee hurried back behind there desks as DiNozzo headed to the lifts, silent under Gibbs' glare. As Tony stepped inside the metal box, he finally met his boss' eyes. "I regret not watching her six, Gibbs. That doesn't mean that I can go back in time and bring her back to life."

* * *

Vance watched the entire exchange. Needless to say, he was not impressed by the antics of his MCRT. They were being childish and immature. Arguments in the office. Arguments in the field. He was sick of it.

They were destroying the reputation of NCIS, and he was determined to fix that. Granted, he could not fire them as they still had the highest closure rate within the entire agency. Heck, within every agency in America. They were the best. There was no way Vance was going to replace them.

But, they just happened to be the most un-cooperative. As previously mentioned: the arguments never ceased. It did not seem to be affecting their work, but it was affecting everyone around them. Now, even some of the agents from other teams seemed to be picking sides.

First, it began with DiNozzo, McGee and David. A few months after DiNozzo's reassignment back to DC, they had started. Bickering over small things that used to be resolved quickly soon blew up into aggressive fights. Gibbs, who used to keep his team in line slowly stopped. Like he didn't care that his agents were shouting at each other across the bullpen. All he cared was about the case. If they got the job done, then it did not matter what DiNozzo, McGee and David did in between. Well, it didn't matter what David and McGee did. He did seem to be awfully annoyed with DiNozzo lately.

Truth be told (though it hurt him to admit), Vance had felt a little sorry for DiNozzo when the arguments first began. The agent was being picked on in the office, by his co-workers. He never backed down once the first hurtful words were thrown, but he was always alone. With no backup. Not even his long-time boss was watching his six in the office. It was like some sort of punishment.

Then Dr Mallard and Palmer joined the fray. They quickly sided with DiNozzo, which made the Director feel a more comfortable about relinquishing the feeling of pity. Him and DiNozzo were not buddies. Not even close. So he soon chose to forget that he ever felt pity for him. And went back to strongly disapproving of his immature behavior.

And then Miss Sciuto became a participant, which surprised the Director as he presumed that the peace-loving Goth would not want to encourage the team to fight. She sided with McGee and David.

It became 3 on 3. Even.

Until, the some of the other agents in the office joined in. For some reason, they chose to back Tony. It was confusing to the Director, who had even started to covertly side with McGee and David. Vance could understand where their arguments stemmed from – their anger with their incessantly annoying partner. DiNozzo did not seem to have any redeeming features.

But the other agents spoke about Tony doing _extra _work. Being in the office up at odd hours. Being immature to lift the atmosphere.

However, it did not seem to match the man's nature, so Vance dismissed the comments. They were probably just close buddies who thought that lying on DiNozzo's behalf would solve the situation. He was sure that they wouldn't be swayed by money as David had suggested.

Anyway, the arguments were not improving. And they were not stopping.

So Vance needed a solution: a way to resolve the team's problems with each other. Coming to a decision, he realized that he was killing two birds with one stone. It was high time the team paid their mandatory visit to a shrink.


	2. Chapter 2

**Writing fan fiction is so fun! :)  
Wrote the first chapter and couldn't stop myself from writing this one. Just a bit of a look into their thoughts after the scene in the office. **

**Comments were great and really encouraging! Thank you to you all. :D Please keep it up!**

**Warnings for suicidal thoughts. May be a bit angsty. Don't like, don't read.**

**Standard disclaimer.**

* * *

_Chapter 2:_

Tony returned to his apartment, feeling rejected. Never had his life sucked so much. Never had Gibbs been so dismissive of him. Never had his team been so… downright cruel.

He was seriously starting considering that latest job offer from Fornell. It wasn't the first one, but this time the FBI had waved a well paying job in front of his face. And, the FBI would be a fresh start. No more scary Mossard assassins. No more gothic forensic scientists. No more geeky partners. No more stone faced bosses.

But, there also wouldn't be any creepy autopsy gremlins, and kind, medical examiner storytellers.

Dumping his bags at the door, the federal agent slumped into his comfortable couch and pressed the palm of his hands into his eyes. It was all too much.

Last time he had felt shunned was at Philadelphia. An unresolved case of a fellow detective had led being resented by the rest of the department. He held no attachment to any of his fellow officers at that time, so that had simply left for Baltimore.

However, this time he did have people whom he cared about. Jimmy and Ducky had become close friends, and confidants. They understood him, and helped him like true friends should. It would be inconsiderate to leave them in the lion's den.

And, yet, though they were not the only reason he was reluctant to accept the job offer. Some small part of him craved the fatherly attention Gibbs used to give. They were so in sync with everything that they did. He used to love the sibling rivalry with Ziva and McGee. They would fight and bicker without any malicious intent. And then there was Abby – the happy, caring younger sister.

Sighing, Tony lurched to his feet to grab a bear from the fridge. Gulping down the alcohol, he shut his eyes and wondered when everything had suddenly gone down hill. Staying at one agency for more than 2 years had never worked well for him, and yet here he still was – 7 years at NCIS under his belt. He had become more and more attached to his team and was not prepared to find a new home.

They were the family that Tony had never had, and he wasn't ready to give up on them.

* * *

Ziva and McGee were both sitting behind their desks, silently communicating.

'_I can't believe Gibbs just sent Tony home like that.'_ The message appeared silently on Ziva's screen and she typed back a response.

'_He should know better than to lie in front of Gibbs.'_ McGee glanced up from his computer at Ziva.

'_I'm not all that sure that he lied. I don't think that he actually did all of this work himself, but it is definitely real.'_

_'Maybe… But even if it is, I can't imagine him doing all this work. You are right.'_

McGee nodded smugly and Ziva felt a twinge of annoyance that she had fed McGee's ego. Even though they may both be against DiNozzo, she could still see that McGee was becoming too cocky and arrogant for his own good.

'_Wipe that smirk off your face, or Gibbs will see.'_

Rolling his eyes, McGee looked up from his keyboard. He was expecting to meet Ziva's gaze, but instead found his eyes drawn to the scrutinizing glare of his supervising officer.

"Having fun chatting with Ziva, McGee?"

McGee's face flushed slightly under his boss' disapproving gaze. "I… we… were, just… umm…"

"What McGee is trying and failing to say, is that we were just communicating about the reports were are filling out. Getting the information as straight and accurate as possible." Ziva finished with a pointed nod in McGee's direction.

"Yeah! Uh… We didn't want to break the silence."

The narrowed eyes that Gibbs gave them both made them know that they did not sound convincing.

"Don't lie to me."

Ziva looked away while McGee gulped audibly.

"If you are wondering whether all of those forms are real, then the answer is yes they are. If you are wondering when DiNozzo got the time to do all of them, then the answer is because he did not sit at his desk chatting online to his co-workers 2 meters away!" Gibbs' glare was biting and made McGee fidget nervously. A 'sorry' was on the tip of the junior agent's tongue, but he knew that would only make his boss more angry.

Ziva bravely decided to keep poking the bear and cocked her head to the side. "Do you seriously believe that Tony does all of this work by himself?"

"He may not be chatting over the computer, but he does flirt constantly and annoy the hell out of anyone within 100 meter radius," added her partner in support.

"DiNozzo is a damn fine agent because he actually GETS HIS WORK TO ME ON TIME! Which is more that I can say for you two. Now, are there any more questions?"

Their boss' tone warned them away from saying yes. As he watched them both remain quiet, Gibbs stood and headed towards the elevator. "I expect all of those forms on my desk by the time I get back!"

The door dinged shut behind him, leaving McGee and Ziva alone in the bullpen.

"Gibbs is awfully short fused today."

"Short tempered. Or has a short fuse."

"Whatever, McGee. One minute he is angry with Tony, the next he is defending him. Complimenting him, even. Do you not think that this is strange behavior, yes?"

"Hmmm. It is… Sort of fatherly, if you think about it." Ziva's eyes widened in surprise at McGee's words. He continued speaking, oblivious, "You know, I keep thinking that there is something about Tony that we don't understand. It's a weird feeling. Like standing in pitch darkness and knowing that there must be something around you, but your not quite sure what."

"A strange but apt analogy. Except that you forgot something."

"What?"

"We know exactly what fills that darkness: a clown, a jock, a womanizer. A man who tries to be someone he isn't. What could Gibbs possibly see in him?"

"I dun no…" McGee shrugged.

They sat in near silence; the only sound the tap of fingers on keyboards as they hurried to finish all of their work.

* * *

Gibbs sipped on his coffee, reflecting on the past. More specifically, the time that he was in Paris. When _they_ were in Paris.

He could see her smiling face every time he closed his eyes. He could remember the golden time that they spent together. Then that was all taken away as they both chose work over each other.

He could remember the way his heart had hammered in his chest when he saw her for the first time in many years, right after Kate's death. The pain of his recent loss had been forgotten as he felt the joy of getting to work with her again.

But then she made it clear that it was not a 'with', it was a 'for'. That realization had been crushing, but he recalled what they had agreed on. Work before each other.

And so he worked for her.

They began to grow close again - meeting for dinner after work every week. Gibbs had thought that their relationship was slowly being repaired - that he was finally going to be with the one person he had loved since Shannon and Kelly.

But then her failed assignment came back to haunt her. He had found his true love… only to lose her. Again. Permanently. Because of the job. Because of DiNozzo's carelessness.

Though he tried not to hold it against his SFA, he could not help it. If he did not blame DiNozzo, then he knew he would have to blame himself. And the guilt would crush him.

Jenny had died because their first assignment together. When he was supposed to be watching her six. And he had, only a little to well. He had trusted her too much and had been blinded by his feelings. He hadn't realized that she was not cold hearted enough to assassinate the fiancé. He had failed her.

Throwing away his coffee in disgust, he suddenly longed for a far stronger drink - alcohol in which he could drown himself.

Gibbs' could not think like that. It was _not_ his fault that she was dead. It was DiNozzo's. It had to be. Defending DiNozzo in the office earlier had made him remember the relationship that he used to have with the agent - a father-son relationship. Recently Gibbs had tried to sever that bond in order to feel better about hating him.

However, Gibbs knew that he was being unfair to his surrogate son and should stop blaming him because cutting the relationship went two ways. DiNozzo probably hated him too now.

But Gibbs was scared that if he did stop…

There would be no tomorrow for the fearless Gibbs.

Because dinner would be a whole lot of guilt, served with his cold hard gun.

* * *

That night, they all received the same e-mail.

"Team therapy. Tomorrow at 11am, conference room 2. Be there or lose your job. Vance."

Strangely enough, all of them accepted their fate without a fight. All of them for different reasons.  
DiNozzo: because he saw it as an opportunity to fix their broken family.  
McGee: because he wanted to know more about the enigma called DiNozzo.  
Ziva: because she wanted to know why Gibbs was like a father to Tony.  
Gibbs: because he saw it as a light in the darkness.

* * *

**Okay, so next chapter the therapy sessions will start! Abby, Jimmy and Ducky will make an appearance. Vance will be there as well. Lots of hurt/comfort. Yeah!  
May have to make some stuff up about their pasts. If I get anything wrong, sorry. **

**Remember: comments are loved! 3**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi! So, here's the next chapter. Sorry for the wait. This one's longer than my previous two chapters. :P**

**Thanks for all of the review and follows. It's really encouraging! Keep it up please! 3**

**Standard disclaimers apply.**

* * *

_Chapter 3:_

Vance was extremely surprised the next day when all four members of the MCRT walked into conference room 2. They were 10 minutes late, and the director had presumed that they were not going to attend the session. In his mind, he had even started to plan the lecture he would have given them.

Miss Scuito, Palmer and Dr Mallard were already seated beside him at the table: the forensic scientist as and pointedly ignoring both medical examiners as they chatted. Or, more accurately, she ignored them as Dr Mallard chatted about another of his stories while Palmer listened intently.

Their therapist was still to arrive.

As DiNozzo, David, McGee and Gibbs all took their seats, the divide in the room was clear. DiNozzo nodded his head at the director and then took a seat opposite Palmer. McGee and David both made a more vocal greeting to their superior before taking the seats across from Abby, leaving a chair space between them and the SFA. Gibbs chose the happy median and sat in the spare seat separating DiNozzo and McGee, opting not to acknowledge his director's presence.

The silence that descended was palatable.

Of course, it was the elderly doctor who broke the quiet. "I thought that you wouldn't be coming, Anthony, my dear boy."

Though he only mentioned Tony, the statement had clearly been addressing the entire team.

"Yeah, well, we caught another case. Agent Ray's team is handling the crime scene for us." Gibbs answered for the rest of them.

Tony nodded. "Kenny, the team's SFA, said that he is not sure whether they're able to take the lead. Something about Ray not giving up on finding missing girl from their latest case."

"Poor girl. She's been with her captors for almost a month now," Palmer chirped up. "Must be horrible."

"Probably is, Jimmy," agreed DiNozzo.

"You realize that she is most likely dead?" Ziva cut into the conversation. "Ray's team is searching more for the captors, than the girl."

"You can't give up on hope, Ziva." Dr Mallard eyes took on a far away look as he recalled a time long past. "I remember meeting this fine young fellow…"

"No one is interested in your story, Duck Man." Abby intervened. "And I agree with Ziva. When you hope for something that is most likely not going to happen, then you will only be disappointed."

"That's a very negative opinion. Very morbid. Ducky's right. It's good to stay positive," DiNozzo argued.

McGee was already speaking before Tony finished. "But telling the parents to keep hoping for the impossible is only going to make them even more dismayed when they find her body!"

Gibbs frowned, while Director Vance learnt back in his chair watching the conversation unfold.

"If you think like that, then you will focus the investigation on the captors, not the girl, right?" queried Palmer. "Isn't that bad?"

"No, that would be logical," stated Ziva firmly. "And what would you know about running an investigation. As Tony says, you're an autopsy gremlin."

Palmer immediately objected, "I happen to know quite a lot actually. Did you know that Tony used to…"

"Jimmy!" DiNozzo cut through whatever Palmer had been to say. The young man stopped mid-sentence at his friend's pointed glare.

Everyone around the table seemed to straighten in their seats, their curiosity piqued.

DiNozzo ignored the fact that he and Palmer were the sudden centre of attention. "Ziva, when I say 'autopsy gremlin', I say it with affection. You don't. So don't call Jimmy that."

Palmer blushed as his friend defended him. "It- It's okay, Tony. Don't worry about it. I've been called worse nicknames."

"That is not acceptable," declared Dr Mallard. "I once knew this fellow who was called all manner of nicknames…"

Vance coughed, cutting off the good doctor's trip down memory lane.

"Oh. Of course, I'll get to the point," Ducky nodded. "You should not let others bully you around, dear boy. It'll only lead to sadness. Depression. Suicide."

Gibbs stiffens slightly, but nobody notices.

"Yeah. Cause suddenly I'm the bully," Ziva's eyes narrowed. "That is what you're saying, yes?"

As she spoke she glanced at McGee, silently searching for support. Her fellow agent simply looked away and didn't disagree. McGee disliked bullies because he used to be their target. He knew very well how to figure out whether someone was a bully or not. It helped with trying to avoid them.

Ziva turned to stare at Jimmy. He shifted nervously in his seat. Telling the assassin that she was acting a bit like a bully would be suicide in itself. Unfortunately, Tony did not seem to care.

"I don't know, Zee-vah. Are we accusing you of being the navy yard bully? You do seem to terrify the newbies around here."

Both Gibbs and Vance shut their eyes at the SFA's words. He was definitely poking an extremely volatile dog.

Ziva actually growled as she stood slowly, face screwed into one of intense anger. "Don't accuse me of being a bully. I am not one. You on the other hand, are. You used to bully us around when you were team leader, making us do paper work and just about everything else. All you did was sit back and relax while we did all of the hard work. You abused your power and superiority. That is what a bully does, yes?"

Everyone in the room went silent. Looking between Ziva and DiNozzo as they silently started at each other.

Finally, slowly, the SFA stood and straightened his suit jacket. "I don't think that it was a good idea for me to be sat down in the same room as you. I'll be going then. Ken's team probably needs some help."

Turning to leave, he was stopped by Ziva's scoff. "Coward."

Shutting his eyes, Tony attempted to reign in his sudden flare of anger. Unfortunately, Jimmy couldn't. "Tony is not a coward! He is my best friend and you had better take that back, Mossard assassin or not." The quiet autopsy assistant leapt to his feet and planted both his hands on the table to be the same height as Ziva.

Abby's giggling interrupted the silent staring competition. "Jim, you are nowhere near as scary as Ziva. Stop trying to be. You're embarrassing yourself in front of everybody."

"Excuse me, my dear," Ducky scowled. "But Mister Palmer is correct in standing up for what he believes. That takes courage. He is actually proving himself."

McGee snorted. "Bull. I can see Palmer shaking from over here. There is no courage in that."

"Yeah. Like you have never peed your pants in the field, McBaby," Tony growled.

As McGee flushed red, Ziva retorted, "I thought you said that you were leaving. Can't follow through with your word now?"

"I can keep my promises just fine thank-you."

"No you can't. You promised to bring Gibbs back. You didn't. Ziva had to," Abby glared.

"That's because he was too busy trying to keep the team together!" Jimmy cried in outrage.

"If he was thinking about us, then he would have stopped bullying us around."

"Yeah. And spent more energy convincing Gibbs to return instead."

"You should have stopped trying to be like Gibbs, because you weren't."

"You aren't."

The accusations were fired out of their mouths rapidly. Vance frowned at their words. Some of the things that they said sounded really petty. The director looked over at Gibbs, who in turn had his eyes narrowed. The supervisory agent did not look happy at his team's malicious remarks about their SFA.

And yet he had yet to say a word to stop them.  
DiNozzo looked shocked at their open hatred, while Jimmy silently sat back down in his seat, his adrenaline rush dispersing. Ducky was the first to reply to the rest of the team's hurtful words.

"Tony is a capable agent. Why else would he have been left in charge?"

"Because Gibbs was not in his right state of mind. He had just had a serious concussion, memory loss, and so many other problems that were probably clouding his judgment."

"Yeah! Tony is most definitely not the sort of agent anyone in their right mind would want to lead the team!"

Jimmy looked at Tony, as if seeking permission to counter McGee's words. All he received was a small shake of the head.

"Look, guys. I was left in charge whether you liked it or not. I did my job just fine."

"And the team's closure rate never dropped," agreed Ducky.

"THAT'S BECAUSE WE WERE DOING MOST OF THE WORK!" Ziva shouted the words, making her the first person to seriously lose control of her anger. "WE SHOULD BE THE ONES ACKNOWLEDGED FOR THE CLOSURE RATE NEVER DROPPING, NOT HIM!"

After her outburst, she sank back down into her seat. McGee took over.

"Ziva is right. Tony did nothing. We did all of the work while Gibbs was away."

"But maybe it was the way he delegated. Maybe it was the way he made you work."  
"If by 'way that he made us work' you mean the campfires, they only impeded us from working. Not helped."

"If by delegating all of the work to us to do, then you are correct. That did help with keeping the closure rate steady. It meant that DiNozzo wouldn't be able to make as many mistakes, and that we were able to make sure that the case was solved."

"You guys are just… just so… so…"

"So smart?"

"So much better than Tony?"

"So… So stupid! So blind! So… So… Arrrggh!" Jimmy yelled in frustrations, unable to articulate his point any further.

"I think that the word you are looking for is obnoxious."

"Yes! Thank-you, Doctor. You guys are just so obnoxious!"

"Well, at least we aren't incompetent agents!"

"What? Like you are?"

"Tony, you shouldn't even be the SFA!"

The tension in the room was extraordinarily high. Finally, the most silent person in the room broke it.

"No. Tony shouldn't be my senior field agent. He should be team leader!"

Gibbs growled as Ziva, McGee and Abby all opened their mouths to argue. They were effectively silenced. "I know that you do not like to acknowledge DiNozzo's skill, but it is more than all of yours combined. That's how good an agent he is."

Tony seemed shocked at Gibbs. The fact that the man was backing him after dismissing him from the squad room the day before was a startling change of attitude.

"Yeah. Which is why Director Sheppard died." Abby was hurt and angry that after all this time of not taking a side, he had finally chosen Tony's.

Gibbs glowered at the woman he considered his daughter. Being reminded of Tony's part in Jenny's death was painful. And here he was defending the man. Again.

"Ziva was there too." Gibbs replied shortly. He could not say that he didn't blame DiNozzo. If he said it allowed, then he would have to start believing it. Then he would have to blame himself. And then…

"Yes, but I wanted to go after the director. Tony said to stay back."

"Well, in my defense, Jen had screwed me over one too many times. I didn't want to get caught up in any more personal vendettas."

"Oh, so just because you met a nice girl and had to lie to her means that the Director screwed you over. Typical."

"Hey! I actually loved her!" Tony's face was red with anger. "We were planning to live together."

"Yeah. Of course you were. That just proves how terrible you are at undercover work. You were willing to sacrifice your cover for a girl."

"She _was_ my assignment! I was supposed to get close to her. And she never figured it out until I had to tell her."

"So you didn't love her."

"Did I say that? No. I don't think I did."

"You did."

"He did not."

"Did too."

"Don't–"

"Will you people just _shut up_!" exclaimed Vance. "You are federal agents, not 2 year old children! Act like it!"

Everyone around the table slowly lowered themselves into their seats from which they had unknowingly risen.

"Good. Now, you all know why you are here. If you don't, then you should have realized it by now. All of these arguments are getting out of hand. I want the problem fixed, or I'll reassign all of you."

The threat made each member look away. They new how serious the Director was being. He would split them up without a second's remorse.

And they all wanted to remain part of the MCRT here in DC.

"So, I expect you to be co-operative throughout these sessions. Less fighting, more touchy feely. That's the reason why I am sitting all of you in the same room. The therapist should be here any minute, so you better be on your best behavior."

Just as he finished speaking, the door creaked open to reveal a young woman in formal clothing. She smiled warmly at the assembled group.

"Hi! My name is Christine. I'm going to be your therapist for the next few weeks. I hope we get a long really well!"

Everyone around the table frowned at her enthusiasm. It was annoying. Suddenly Tony smiled and held out a hand as she began to take her seat.

"Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo."

Christine giggled at the 1000mega-watt smile and shook the proffered hand. "I know who you are. In fact, I know who you all are. I've read your files."

The frowns around the table deepened.

Their therapist seemed to notice, and smile faded until she looked very much like a businesswoman. "Now, I understand that you all are having some… teamwork issues. I am here to help you fix that. Feel free to tell me anything and everything. However to start, I plan on just running through some of the points you mentioned during the argument you just had. Firstly –"

"Wait. You heard all of that?" Ziva queried.

Christine nodded her head. "Yes. I heard every word."

Eyes narrowed around the table. Their therapist had been eavesdropping.

Abby voiced all of their thoughts, "Listening in on private conversations is not very nice, Lady."

"Please. Call me Christine. Or Christy. And you may find that my methods are a bit unorthodox. It gets me results though."

"You purposely left us in a room all together and arrived late." Gibbs hated being tricked.

The therapist shrugged off the accusation. "As I said: my methods are different. Anyway, lets start by talking about each other. How you would rate each other's abilities, who you think would be best at what, why you like or dislike someone. That sort of thing."

The agents around the table fidgeted.

"Who wants to begin?"

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**So, I'll try get a new chapter out tomorrow. Stay tuned! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi! So I would just like to say a huge thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far. I love you all! 3  
Can you feel that? I am mentally hugging you. \(ˆoˆ)/**

**Sorry for not updating sooner. Life can be a little hectic and all... [Terrible excuse I know, but it's better than saying I was too busy watching Dr Who. Which I was, by the way. Awesome movie! So funny. :D]  
Anyway, I am pretty sure that if I want to fangirl about Dr Who, I go to a different fandom. Soz. :P**

**So, standard disclaimers applies. **

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Dead silence filled the room. No one wanted to start.

After a few seconds in silence, Christine finally caved. "Okay. Seems that I'll have to choose. Hmm… We'll start with you," she gestured at the Director, "Then you can choose who will go next."

Vance nodded his head. "Okay, then."

The therapist smiled. "Do not feel afraid to speak your mind." She noted that some of the agents looked curious to hear their superior's opinion of them, while others appeared worried.

"So, I'll start with Agent Gibbs." The director met the steely gaze of the supervisory agent. "I want my agents to be computer savvy, and Gibbs is most definitely does not comply with those parameters. Although he doesn't always use the… best methods, I agree that they get him results. For that, I can over look the fact that he is a dinosaur."

Vance nodded his head at Gibbs. "However, I would prefer it if he weren't so disrespectful to his superiors. Gibbs may have a great reputation as an investigator, but he also has a great reputation as a bastard."

Gibbs smirked when Christine raised an eyebrow and jotted down a few notes.

"There's nothing more to be said, so I'll move on to…" Vance looked at the faces around the table. "McGee."

The said agent smiled at the fact that he was chosen second to his boss -_ before_ Tony.

"McGee is an agent of the modern era. He is the type of person I want working for NCIS. I have not known him for long, but in the time that I have I can easily say that he a competent agent."

McGee positively beamed in pride.

"However," continued the director, "I have noticed that he can be slightly arrogant around fellow agents." Vance looked Timothy in the eyes. "He should know by now that just because he is my favorite field agent, does not make him better than everyone else in the bullpen."

McGee didn't quite know whether to feel flattered or embarrassed. The director had both praised him by calling him his favorite, and yet he had also called him arrogant within the same sentence.

As the therapist nodded thoughtfully, Vance chose his next target.

"Miss Abigail Scuito. You are by far the best at forensics within the entire agency, and many of our fellow agencies. For that I am thankful that you work for NCIS."

Abby beamed at the praise.

"Abby, I hold nothing against you because you are a Goth. In fact, the diverse personalities within NCIS are great. I know that you can be an extremely happy girl, so your behavior recently is baffling. Agents have come to me complaining that you are snapping at them and being unfairly rude."

The forensic scientist fiddled with her piggy tails. She pouted, "Yeah, well, they are demanding that I do work for them ASAP. And Agent Kenny and Ray keep asking me to do more tests on evidence concerning that lost girl. Not everything can be of the highest priority. It can be… annoying."

"The case is about finding a lost girl. That _should _be your priority in the lab."

"I know," came the mumbled reply.

"Maybe we can move on, Director," suggested the therapist.

"Sure." Vance looked at the elderly doctor sitting to his immediate right. "Dr Donald Mallard is one of the finest medical examiners around. He is precise and meticulous in all of his procedures. I know that he likes to share stories about his past experiences and, while they can be annoying to some, they do not bother me too much. I have no complaints about the good doctor."

Ducky inclined his head in gratitude.

"I'll move on to his assistant, Jimmy Palmer." Said man swallowed nervously at the mention of his name.

"I cannot claim to be close to Mister Palmer, so there is not much for me to say. He seems to get along well with most people else in the office. No one ever comes to me with issues about him. So I must conclude that he is efficient at his job."

Jimmy mumbled a thanks as the therapist nodded. Vance looked at Ziva.

"Ms David. You are a liaison agent from Mossard. When I first heard that my predecessor was assigning you to Gibbs, I thought that she was joking – about the job position and who your supervisory agent was to be. However, I admire the fact that you have remained on Gibbs team, that you have earned his trust. I also now see you as a valuable asset. Your ties with Mossard mean that operations in Israel can run much smoother. For that I am thankful."

Ziva dipped her head, trying to hide her wide beam.

"But, it would be in your favor to not act so superior to junior agents. Many of the probies are in fear of you, which does not make for an effective working environment."

Vance turned to face the last person he had yet to speak about – DiNozzo. The man shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny, knowing that the director was probably not going to be saying encouraging comments.

"DiNozzo. You know very well that you are not my favorite agent. In fact, that smart-ass attitude of yours infuriates me. Around the office, you are childish and immature. It astounds me that Gibbs has put up with you for so long. Frankly, I think that you should be off the team."

The therapist was scribbling down notes quickly. Tony stiffened.

"I have read the reports that others have written about you, and they vary a lot. Most have the same opinion as I, while some think you a saint."

McGee snorted softly at that.

"The only reason you have not been kicked off the MCRT is because I am still unsure whether your ability as an agent is as appalling as your attitude. I am giving you the benefit of the doubt, not because I have faith that you have redeeming features – you most likely don't own any - but because the FBI is practically begging for you. There must be a reason behind that. I want to know what."

Tony smiled icily. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Director. Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside."

"Just making sure that you know your place, Agent DiNozzo."

Christine rapped her knuckles on the table to gain the attention of the seated people. "Maybe we should move on. Who would you like to go next, Director Vance?"

The man broke away from the glaring contest with DiNozzo and looked to his right. "Doctor, would you like to go next?"

"Sure. That is fine by me." Glancing around the table, the medical examiner focused his attention on his pupil next to him.

"Mr Palmer, my dear boy. I look at you as I would close family."

Jimmy stammered in amazement at the declaration. "Th-thank you, doctor. That means a lot."

Smiling faintly, the elderly man patted his son on the arm. "I know that you do not wish to be a dominant male figure, however I believe that you need to become more confident in everything that you do. Please remember that I say this with only my best interests for you."

Jimmy nodded his head vigorously. "Of course. And I think that you are right, Doctor Mallard. I will try to be less shy and more assertive."

Patting his arm once again, Ducky turned to look at Tony, who was smiling at their exchange. "And you, Anthony, I also think of like family. It pains me that you try to bottle up all of your worries and problems. You should express your true feelings more often."

Tony shrugged casually. "Maybe…"

Ziva suddenly burst out laughing. McGee and Abby were also struggling to hold back their own show of amusement.

Everyone else, including Christine, frowned in disapproval.

"You can't be serious!" exclaimed McGee as Ziva fought to regain her composure. "Tony is expressing his feelings all the time. He chatters non stop!"

"About unimportant things," Jimmy disagreed with Tim. "Not about the things that really matter."

"The only things that matter to him are cars, sports and girls."

Abby snorted, "Yeah! You act as though he has a dark secret."

DiNozzo cleared his throat. "Please don't talk like I'm not in the room."

"But it's true! There is no dark secret, is there." Ziva said it like a statement.

Tony raised an eyebrow. "You're an investigator. You solve the mystery. In the mean time, I think that Duck-man should keep moving on, don't you?" He looked expectantly at Ducky until the elderly man nodded in acceptance.

"Okay then. I shall. Who should I talk about next? Hmmm…" The medical examiner let his eyes rest on Gibbs. "You, my dear fellow, have been very quiet. Like normal, I suppose. The 'function mute' as Tony aptly puts it."

Gibbs simply glanced at DiNozzo, who in turn shrugged. "Guilty."

"Gibbs, I have known you longer than I have known most. You are competent at your job, and I view you as a close friend. However, there are times when we have had our differences. I am sad to say that this is most definitely one of those times."

Gibbs remained silent.

"That is all I'll say about Gibbs." Breaking away from the eye contact, Ducky scanned the occupants of the table. "Timothy."

Shifting in his seat, the man in question sat up a little straighter. He was unsure what to expect from the elderly man.

"Timothy, I must say that I am disappointed. I had high hopes for you as an agent when you first began. However recently you have been a little… over confident. Too sure of yourself. I once knew a man like that. He was called… Derek. Because you obviously don't enjoy my many tales, let's just say the decisions he made because of his arrogance affected both himself and the people around him. My advice: try not to be like poor Derek. The outcome for him was most… unpleasant."

Ducky turned to Ziva. "My dear, you also must strive to be a little less like Derek. You must not act superior to others, because that causes friction. However, both of you should just remember that I still think you are capable investigators. I am only questioning your abilities to be a team player."

Ziva and McGee rolled their eyes at the lecture but paid it no heed. They knew that the doctor was just trying to subtly ruffle their feathers. He was, after all, sided with DiNozzo.

"Abby, you have always been an extremely happy Goth. However, I am sad to say that I agree with the Director. You have been acting differently lately. I would very much like to see you smile once again, so please don't over work yourself and become cranky."

Abby narrowed her eyes, but stayed silent. It was true. She had not been sleeping well lately. But that was because she hated seeing her family falling apart. She couldn't help but blame it on the arguments. And that lead her to blaming it on Tony because she agreed with Ziva and McGee and couldn't blame them for finally voicing their thoughts.

"Finally, I would like to talk about you Director Vance. Although I do not know you very well, I can tell that you are focused on making sure that the agency operates smoothly. That is good. However, I think that you should get to know some of the agents better. Be less of a mysterious boss."

"I'll keep that in mind, Doctor."

Christine couldn't help but grin. It felt as though the medical examiner was taking away her job by giving everybody advice. "Okay, then. Can I choose who shall go next?"

At the polite nod sent her way, the therapist chose to focus on the one man with the least comments so far. "Agent Gibbs, if you please."

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**I know this chapter may have been a little slow, but never fear cause next chapter I'm gonna pick up the pace. :)**


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